Work Text:
Lyney shivers as he slips out from under his bedclothes. Lynette snores softly on the other side of the room, moonlight splaying out over the floor by her bed.
The tiled floors are freezing cold; Lyney grimaces as his bare toes graze the icy ground. But lying in bed has brought him nothing for the past few hours, so he bites the bullet and brings his heel down to meet the tiles.
"Cold," he whines under his breath, and instinctively looks over at Lynette to make sure he hasn't woken her. Her ear twitches, but she remains unresponsive. Relaxing, he gets to his feet and crosses over to the dresser, where he retrieves his Vision. As the familiar warmth of his beloved Pyro energy flows through him, he sighs with relief.
The corridor is dead silent, save for the slight creak of his and Lynette's bedroom door opening. The moonlight filters in through lines of windows, bathing the tall walls and ornate decorations in a silvery haze. Lyney sticks out his tongue at one of the windows. Snezhnaya is a beautiful country, but he gets sick of all the whites and greys. He yearns for the brilliant blues and vibrant greens of Fontainian landscapes! The soft pinks of a Rainbow Rose… the warmth of the House's fireplace (he's convinced that even the fires in Snezhnaya burn colder than back home).
After softly closing the door behind him, he wanders down the hall absentmindedly. A million thoughts run through his head; at the forefront, the looming threat of his future in Snezhnaya. He knows how much time Father spends away from their home Hearth, and… looking out of the window, seeing the miles and miles of snow, he only felt loneliness at the thought of following in those footsteps.
It must be cold out there, he thinks. I wonder how she bears it.
Out of the corner of his eye, he sees something; a flicker of orange light. He turns to see someone slip out of the nearest door, holding a lamp in one hand. Their gazes meet; the person stops dead.
"Who's there?" they call; Lyney relaxes the moment he recognises their voice.
"Odette!" he replies, lifting a hand in greeting. "It's me, Lyney."
"Ah." Odette walks over to the window, lowering her lantern. "Son of the Knave. Long time no see. Since when have you been at Zepolyarny?"
"Only since this afternoon," Lyney responds. "Lynette and I have been cooped up inside all day, unfortunately."
"You didn't miss much," Odette murmurs.
"There's never much happening here, I wager."
Odette shakes her head. "Only a Veche meeting. Dull as ever."
Lyney nods in understanding. "So, let me guess - you napped during the Veche, and now you've got too much energy to sleep?" he teases.
"Something like that," Odette rolls her eyes. "…I was going to go to Lady Columbina's old gardens. Would you like to come with me?"
"I don't see why not." He steps away from the window, and follows Odette down the corridor. He finds himself observing her as they walk; usually, she appears in a tutu, her hair carefully done up in a rose-shaped knot. He's always admired her hairstyle, in secret. But now, in the dead of night, she looks strangely vulnerable in a set of soft blue pajamas, her hair down and loose around her shoulders. He notices that her slippers have little swans embroidered into them.
"You're staring," Odette says.
Oops. Lyney lets out a hurried laugh. "My apologies… I've just never seen you in pajamas before."
"Nor I, you," Odette gives him a curt glance, gaze flicking up and down his body in a way that almost makes him blush. "Aren't you freezing with no shoes on?"
Lyney smiles, flashing his Vision. "Not particularly."
She hums. "Ah. Makes sense." Then, "I like the cats. On your pajamas."
"Oh, thank you. My sister has a matching set, in blue."
"That doesn't surprise me." Odette pauses in front of a large door. "Here we are."
Together, they work the heavy doors open. Lyney faintly recalls that they used to be open semi-permanently before Lady Columbina defected; since she left, the garden has been left well alone.
And it shows. The flowers are drooping, the benches and pillar overgrown with vines; while Lady Sandrone's irrigation system leaves the air humid and warm, it's clear that the plants require more care than they've been getting. Lyney carefully steps over the thorns in their path until he reaches a dew-covered bench, glistening slightly in the light from Odette's lamp. He gently pats it somewhat dry with his sleeve, and offers it to her; "Ladies first."
She rolls her eyes, but sits down, and even pats down the spot next to hers. "I didn't know the Knave was already back in Snezhnograd," she says, placing the lantern on the ground.
"It surprised us, too," Lyney acquisces, sitting down next to her. "Especially since she was so insistent I come along. I feel like she's planning something."
Odette hums. "…I think the Tsaritsa is planning something, more like… or, well…" she sighs. "It would seem my promotion is imminent."
Lyney blinks, needing a moment to process that. "What?"
A strange feeling settles in his gut. Of course, he knew this was coming; Odette was one of the few people he had confided in about his worries that Father was considering him as a contender to inherit the title of the Knave, simply because she was so clearly favored for the Fair Lady title. But it still shakes him, for some reason.
"It would make sense," Odette sighs again. "I don't usually have the privilege of boarding at Zepolyarny. The fact that both I and all the remaining active Harbingers have been called here… it feels like it's inevitable."
Lyney sucks in a breath, gazing at her. In the lamplight, with her hair down and her soft pajamas, she looks much younger than she really is. His heart clenches. "Do you feel… ready?"
"No," Odette answers truthfully. "I'm still… Archons. I'm still processing that she's… gone. It feels so alien." She closes her eyes. "It feels like a betrayal, taking her post when… we were on such bad terms when she left."
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault." She opens her eyes again, tracing a circle into her thigh with her thumb. "At the same time, I know she chose me for a reason."
"Even if you can't quite understand what that reason is," Lyney murmurs to himself.
Odette looks up, seeming almost startled. "Exactly."
"I get that feeling," Lyney admits. Just then, something dawns on him, something that makes the strange feeling in his gut twist into nausea. "Do you think Father brought me along so I could see what it looks like to be… promoted?"
"Maybe," Odette says. "It's possible."
"Oh," Lyney whispers.
"It all feels horribly real all of a sudden, doesn't it?" Odette asks wryly.
"Yeah," Lyney replies faintly.
She moves her hand, placing it on top of his. "Don't worry. I'll be sure to show you the ropes when it's your turn."
Lyney lets out a laugh, taking her hand in his and squeezing it. "Alright, it's a deal."
They share a smile, and Lyney's chest flutters. It's rare that he feels able to trust someone outside of his family so deeply. But Odette is special; much like how he was able to develop such a deep friendship with the Traveller.
For the next ten or fifteen minutes, they sit together in silence, hand in hand, looking around the gardens. It's a peaceful state of being. One that Lyney would usually associate with an evening by the Hearth with Lynette and the rest of his siblings. Instead, he's sharing it with someone who will likely become his superior within the next days, and then eventually, his coworker.
Eventually, the silence is broken. "Your hand is so warm," Odette comments. "It's disconcerting."
Lyney laughs at that, not a silly, flighty giggle or a cute little chuckle; he laughs. "I'm sorry, would you prefer I freeze to death?"
"You could try wearing slippers," she suggests with a small smile.
"In Fontaine-"
"Oui oui, of course, Fontainians know best."
"Stop!" he laughs, almost doubling over now. Odette is wearing a smug little grin now, barely hiding her own amusement. "-Your accent is terrible, swan."
"So is yours," she counters. "Hearing you pronounce Zepolyarny is like listening to a choir of screaming cats."
"Rude."
"Maybe so. Counterpoint: you insulted my accent first."
"My deepest apologies, mademoiselle," Lyney replies, laying it on thick with the sarcasm as he lifts her hand to his mouth, "have I scarred you emotionally? Do you feel entitled to compensation?"
She bats his hand away, blushing slightly in the lanternlight. "Oh, hold your tongue."
Lyney giggles. "You didn't answer the question."
"And I'm not going to," Odette says primly. "Compensation. Really."
"I'll take that as a no, I suppose," Lyney sighs melodramatically, placing a hand on his chest.
"Are you often up this late?" Odette asks abruptly. "I've found that I struggle with sleep a lot lately."
Lyney sucks in a breath. "…Yes, I suppose I do."
"How do you cope with it?"
"I don't," he says plainly. "Mostly I just make the most of what little energy I have. Many of our best tricks were born in the early hours of the morning, in fact."
"Ah."
"What's stopping you from sleeping, if I may ask?"
She sighs. "I suppose recently it's been the entire promotion ordeal. I worry that I won't have any time left for my ballet, or my friends."
"I'll make time to be your friend," Lyney replies immediately. "Especially if… we end up coworkers."
"If?" She raises an eyebrow, as if to say "don't you mean when?"; they're both thinking it, really.
"If," Lyney insists. "And even if not. I know it must be a small comfort, but you won't be alone. And I'm sure that, as a Harbinger, you'll be able to tell people 'fuck off, I want to dance today' more easily."
She laughs. "Maybe."
"In truth, I'm scared that if I become Harbinger, it'll distance me from Lynette," Lyney admits. "I would hate to lose her that way."
"I think I get that," Odette replies. "The two of you are inseparable… hm, actually…"
"What?"
"I mean," Odette says slowly, "the two of you have always been a team. I don't think you'll be split as easily as you worry; Lynette could just be your right-hand woman, no? It would be almost ignorant of the Tsaritsa to split such a well-oiled duo and force them to go solo."
"That's true," he agrees. "We'd find a way, we always do." For a moment, he thinks back to that night many years ago where Lynette was sold. Even now, he would leave the comforts of a noble's home behind in a heartbeat if it meant saving his sister; if anything, he would go much further for her now than he did that day.
Father was the one who saved them that day, in the end. Majority of the children in the House were rescued from horrible situations by her directly. In theory… having a duo in charge could mean almost twice as many children being saved.
Maybe that's what being the Knave should mean to him; an opportunity for him and Lynette to save other children like them.
"You know what?" he says, "Thank you, Odette - you've helped recontextualise some things for me."
"I'm glad," she answers with a small smile, stifling a yawn. "… I hope to see you up there with me one day."
"Seems like you're getting tired, swan," Lyney comments. "Shall we go back to out rooms?"
Odette bites her lip. "I suppose."
"Alright," Lyney gets to his feet, stretching. "Oh dear. My trousers are damp."
"Mine too," Odette says, standing up as well. "That's what we get for visiting the Zepolyarny Jungle."
Lyney laughs, holding out his arm for Odette as she bends down to retrieve the lantern. "Shall we?"
"If you were anyone else I would kick you," Odette mutters, but accepts his offer of an arm.
"Don't worry, I'm well aware of my good fortune."
The corridor feels practically frigid in comparison to the humid air of the garden, and Lyney can't help but shiver as he steps through the door.
"Cold?" Odette asks.
"Only a little," Lyney says. "I do have a particularly comfy bed waiting for me."
"What is it like at the House of the Hearth?"
Lyney blinks, caught off guard by the question. "…It's home. Very warm. The beds aren't half as comfy as the ones here, but we have more rooms to fill, so it balances out. Many of my siblings had to choose between a lumpy matress and the streets; there tends to be a clear winner."
"Interesting," Odette intones.
"It's truly a lovely place, all in all," he says. "Albeit a bit… loud, and sometimes crowded."
"But it's family," Odette says, her tone soft and almost… longing. Lyney glances at her, and realises that the longing is even more obvious in her eyes.
"Yes," he agrees. "…Odette. Come and visit sometime. I think you'd like it. The kids can be overwhelming, but once you get used to them… it's worth it, I promise you."
They stop in front of her bedroom as he's still speaking, and she smiles. "…Alright. Maybe I'll take you up on that. Goodnight, Lyney."
"Goodnight, Odette." He returns her smile.
She turns, puts her hand on the doorknob and hesitates; suddenly, she leans over, presses a chaste kiss to his cheek, and smiles awkwardly before ducking inside her room.
He stands there stunned for a few minutes, heart and stomach awash with butterflies. He raises one hand, touching his cheek, and notices that he's blushing fiercely.
"Oh my," he whispers to himself, glancing at her door.
Eventually, he finds himself able to move again, and turns to go back to his and Lynette's room, heart and mind buzzing from the kiss. Any hopes of sleeping before dawn have been shot down now, but at least he'll have something positive to think about while he lays in bed.